"MSNBC(stylized as msnbc) is a cable news channel based in the United States and available in the US, the UK, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada. Its name is derived from those of "Microsoft" and "NBC".msnbc.com, a separate company, is the news website for the NBC News family, featuring interactivity and multimedia plus original stories and video which augment the content from NBC News and partners."

MSNBC and msnbc.com were founded in 1996 as partnerships between Microsoft and General Electric's NBC unit, which is now NBC Universal. Although Microsoft and NBC shared operations of MSNBC cable at its founding, it was announced on December 23rd, 2005, that NBCUniversal would purchase a majority stake in the television channel, which left Microsoft with 18%, later reduced to zero. MSNBC was launched on July 15th, 1996.

-Wikipedia